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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23283286">A Good Old-Fashioned Hunting Trip</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonicCeleste/pseuds/SonicCeleste'>SonicCeleste</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Crystals and Rolanberries [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Final Fantasy XIV</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bard Warrior of Light, M/M, Miqo’te Warrior of Light, TFW you don’t know if the flirt is flirting with you or FLIRTING with you, This is as far as they get before Shadowbringers, Yaaaaay romantic uncertainty!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 10:09:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,898</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23283286</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SonicCeleste/pseuds/SonicCeleste</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A quiet evening leads to G’raha and No’a going on a hunt. Romantic tension ensues.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>G'raha Tia | Crystal Exarch/Warrior of Light</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Crystals and Rolanberries [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1841296</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>38</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Good Old-Fashioned Hunting Trip</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Knock knock!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>G’raha looked up from writing and frowned. “We share a tent, No’a - must you knock every time?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just making sure I’m not disturbing you, sweetness~”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>G’raha pouted and briefly turned away from the entrance to hide the flush on his cheeks. Curse that flirt. “You may enter, Warrior of Light.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No’a pushed the tent flap open and grinned, walking in with a different outfit than the one he left the camp in - namely the addition of a purple buttoned-up coat that complimented the dark blue of his chapeau.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you think?” No’a asked as he spun on his heels, letting G’raha get a full view of his outfit. “Figured I’d go for something that’d let me blend into shadows better.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>G’raha hummed thoughtfully. As expected of the bard, it looked quite fashionable, made of some kind of animal hide dyed a deep purple with sleek black trim. It looked warm, but just loose enough as to not hinder in combat, as were all the Warrior’s clothes - perhaps a little </span>
  <em>
    <span>too</span>
  </em>
  <span> loose in some cases, but that wasn’t something G’raha could bring himself to comment on. Mostly because that meant he had to admit to staring. Instead, he opted for their usual banter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, so the supposed ‘night hunter’ </span>
  <em>
    <span>is </span>
  </em>
  <span>capable of wearing something that isn’t in that garish red-pink,” G’raha said with a smirk. No’a gasped overdramatically and put a hand to his heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll have you know, G’raha Tia, that rolanberry red is an important colour in my tribe!” No’a scolded in mock offence before suddenly standing up straight and clearing his throat - G’raha could feel a lecture incoming and playfully feigned disinterest. “All Katri war paint as well as the men’s tattoo pigment are made using crushed rolanberries grown under the light of Menphina to draw out Her lunar powers - I’m merely upholding tradition by wearing the colour!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>G’raha hummed indifferently and leaned back in his desk chair. “Fascinating, truly - I’ll make sure to write that as a footnote in your paragraph when I write the Sycrus Tower report, so generations beyond ours will read and remember that the Warrior of Light had a favourite colour.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No’a pouted. “It’s not </span>
  <em>
    <span>just</span>
  </em>
  <span> my favourite colour, sweetness, it’s a tribe tradition spanning centuries! Isn’t history your thing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Allagan</span>
  </em>
  <span> history, as well as heroes across time if we are to be specific.” G’raha shrugged. “You may fall under one category, but forgive me for not thinking </span>
  <em>
    <span>rolanberry</span>
  </em>
  <span> to be a heroic colour.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ha! Then forgive </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span> for not believing you.” No’a leaned forward with a mischievous grin. “I think you’re actually rather fond of it, given how much I’ve seen you staring lately~”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>G’raha’s cheeks flushed as red as his hair before he looked away, pouting and making the bard chuckle. For someone who was so quiet when they first met, No’a could certainly talk up an often dramatic and flirtatious storm now when it was just the two of them. G’raha knew the flirting meant nothing, though - No’a acted just the same when he mooched free food and alcohol from unsuspecting patrons at Seventh Heaven. At least it was all in good fun, he supposed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As I recall, your sister was in far more normal-looking clothes with nary a hint of rolanberry on them when she dropped you off here the day before last, after one of your many drunk escapades,” the Seeker continued the conversation, closing his journal. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You should be thankful I don’t mention those in the reports either.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, well, she’s also far less eccentric than I am,” No’a didn’t miss a beat in responding and shrugged, walking over to lean against the Seeker’s desk. “And anyroad, that’s not what I’m here to talk to you about.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then what is it, my friend?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No’a grinned again - it was mischievous. “You called me a ‘supposed night hunter’, did you not?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>G’raha nodded. “I did - even though your skills are remarkable, you’re also quite… flashy. Quite frankly I find it hard to believe you’re capable of such stealth.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, quite frankly </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> find that a little insulting,” No’a said, though his casual smile proved otherwise. “So much so that I would remind you firsthand just how great my skills are, so you’re just as enamoured with me as when we first encountered each other. How would you like to join the Warrior of Light on a little hunting trip, my dear G’raha Tia?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ah, an overly verbose proposition to show off - something G’raha himself was very familiar with doing. He seemed to think about this for a moment before smirking with a glint in his green eye, reaching for his journal and quill again. “I daresay that would be a sight to behold! Let me know when he’s next available, would you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Seeker didn’t even need to look up from writing to know No’a’s reaction just judging from the overdramatic sigh - the bard would be frowning at him with a hand on his hip, maybe pushing away a lock of crystal blue hair from his warm amber eyes… If it weren’t for that new coat he could get an eyeful from his </span>
  <em>
    <span>scandalously</span>
  </em>
  <span> open cotton shirt and…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>… By the Twelve, what was </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong</span>
  </em>
  <span> with him lately? He needed to focus. Sadly, Allagan history wasn’t going to report itself…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So? What’s the verdict, sweetness? We could make it another competition if you want~”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>… That was a good argument. Well played, No’a Katri.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is remarkably tempting, but… While I would normally jump at the chance for a rematch, I believe I’d be at quite the disadvantage for both night vision and archery ability,” G’raha sighed as he put away his journal with finality. “We’d need to decide on a prize, besides.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No’a simply smiled innocently - too innocently in G’raha’s opinion. “I’ve already got a prize lined up, and I’ll even give you a head start, so don't worry your precious little head, yeah~?” He grabbed the Seeker’s hand before he could respond and started dragging him outside. “Now come on, we’ve got a swamp waiting for us!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Swamp?! No’a, </span>
  <em>
    <span>wait,</span>
  </em>
  <span> my bow…!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>————————————————</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>That</span>
  </em>
  <span> one,” No’a whispered. “Right there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pointed through the mess of branches and vines to a single giant Morbol in the middle of the swamp that was near the camp, minding its own business. G’raha had to squint, Seeker eyes unsuited to the darkness, but nodded as vague shapes started to sharpen into a proper form. “So I take it then it's a race to see who kills it first?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No’a made an affirming hum, leaning forward on their shared tree branch and watching the morbol intently. “They’re dangerous bastards, just so you know - they only have two defences, but gods be damned if they’re not good ones.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, first thing are those vines.” No’a pushed away some of the foliage to let G’raha get a closer look. “They may not look much from here, but up close they’re as thick as logs and ten times as painful when one hits you square in the chest.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>G’raha frowned and inwardly winced - that sounded like it came from personal experience. “I see. And the other?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Their powder.” No’a stated simply. “If there was some good prey around here I could… Ah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bard broke his gaze away from the morbol for the first time since they’d found it 5 minutes ago and looked down, where one of those giant toads that roamed Mor Dhona had stumbled past their tree and deeper into the swamp, obviously lost. Blue curtains of hair blocked G’raha’s view of most of No’a’s face, but that smirk… was not one he’d seen on the bard before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stay here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>G’raha didn’t have time to respond before No’a leapt from their branch to another tree nearby, leaving the Seeker to cling for dear life and pray it didn’t break with the force No’a exerted from his jump. He watched the bard closely - or at least tried to - as he hopped from tree to tree, keeping a sharp focus on the toad as it stumbled deeper still into the swamp. It was like watching a hungry owl high above surveying its prey on the floor, waiting to strike - only No’a didn’t strike the way G’raha thought he would. Rather than shooting an arrow into its body and calling it a day, No’a took something out of his bag - a rock? Bait? It was too dark for the Seeker to make out - and threw it in the direction of the morbol. The toad instantly turned its head towards the object and, after a few cautionary glances around, hopped on over. G’raha found himself intrigued the more he watched - he’d learnt all about these creatures in books and lectures, but scarcely had much experience with them until he finished his education just a few short years ago. There was something almost calming about watching these creatures in the wild-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Watch,” No’a whispered, his sudden appearance causing G’raha to nearly leap out of his skin. How had he managed to sneak his way back so quickly?! He half wished the bard was wearing his token rolanberry colours just so he could see him better in the dark. Nonetheless, G’raha did as No’a told and watched as the toad stomped its way into the morbol’s territory. The morbol wasted no time in attacking the toad with a few swings of its vines, knocking the poor toad off its feet and leaving it to struggle as it started to rumble.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What… is it-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>G’raha gave an unimpressed glance at No’a but kept quiet, watching as the morbol spewed a wave of sickly yellow gas and pollen past its multitude of teeth and at the giant toad. The toad froze in its tracks, then fell to the swamp floor with a loud splash, shrieking and writhing until, after what felt like an eternity, it went limp and stopped moving.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“By the gods…” G’raha mumbled. “I-if it can do such damage to a creature as large as that…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Exactly. Stick to the trees. Good camouflage.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t until now that G’raha noticed No’a’s voice had turned low, stern, and he wasn’t using his usual flowery words or flirty remarks either. Simple, blunt, and to the point - something more fitting of the ‘Warrior of Light’ mantle but less fitting of the bard that G’raha had grown to know these past few weeks. Was this how he usually acted during battle? He had never gotten close enough to check…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“G’raha, focus. I’m giving you a minute head start.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>G’raha jumped in surprise for the second time that night as the Keeper’s voice cut through his thoughts. A minute head start? For </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> thing? That just killed a giant toad like it was a mere fly? Where was he supposed to even </span>
  <em>
    <span>start</span>
  </em>
  <span>?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As if sensing the Seeker’s nervousness, No’a turned to face him and grinned casually, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “You’ll be fine, sweetness - aim for soft spots, and I’ll cover you. Unless…” His grin turned into a smug smirk. “You want to back out of the competition?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ah, that was more familiar behaviour. In all honesty G’raha had forgotten about it, but he shook his head fervently - he knew it’d be a tough challenge, but he was never one to let a challenge get in his way in the first place.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No’a grinned once more as he settled down a little more onto their shared branch. “Now, whenever you’re ready…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>G’raha nodded and quickly hopped off one branch to another, then another, before finally reaching the tree to the morbol’s territory. He wasn’t unfamiliar with hunting, having grown up in a typical Seeker tribe, and you never forget how to shoot a bow, even after years of going through dusty old tomes. He reached for an arrow but hesitated - a standard shot wouldn’t do for a beast like this. No, if he wanted to win, he had to think strategically, and quickly at that. He pulled out an arrow as well as a small vial from a side pocket - a powerful poison that he’d used prior in his quest for the aethersand. He dipped the arrowhead carefully, pocketed the vial and readied the arrow - with his sight finally adjusted to the dark, he took aim, and-</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Fsssh.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Squelch.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The arrow sank right into the green flesh(?) of the morbol’s mouth, and it cried out in surprise. G’raha hummed happily to himself as he grabbed another arrow, then another, and a third - each arrow that flew hit different spots on the creature’s body as it flailed its many vines around, desperately trying to find any hint of its attacker.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ha! Dangerous, hm?” He said to himself with a smug grin. “No’a no doubt was trying to make this seem more dangerous than it was with his earlier words.” This would be </span>
  <em>
    <span>easy</span>
  </em>
  <span> - perhaps he’d even win this little race of theirs to bring their rivalry to an even one-all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Seeker glanced over at No'a and grinned, all too proud of himself. No’a… didn’t respond. At least nothing that G’raha could see. Maybe the bard couldn’t see him? Ah well - if his timekeeping was correct, that wasn’t important right now anyway. A minute had passed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With the subtle creak of a distant branch, No’a leapt from his hiding spot to some larger trees on the opposite side of the morbol’s territory and without a moment to spare started shooting a flurry of arrows - each carefully calculated to hit a softer spot that made the morbol writhe and growl in anger. Then, he jumped to another branch, and did the very same, an occasional flash of bright amber eyes the only giveaway of the bard being there at all. G’raha found himself once again fascinated at the sight of No’a’s archery and, after a moment’s hesitation, got into a more comfortable crouch to watch from his vantage point. He knew from the start that his archery paled in comparison to a battle-hardened Warrior of Light, and that this ‘competition’ was a ploy to show off, so he only felt a little bad about letting the bard do all the work.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>G’raha spotted an almost… bored expression on the Keeper as his hands worked the bow effortlessly. It was obvious that No’a, too, had grown up hunting for his tribe - from his limited knowledge of Keeper tribes, it was the men’s main purpose. But where G’raha had balanced archery with studies, No’a had no such thing and so had arguably mastered the whole affair, acting surely and silently to efficiently kill his target. Key word being </span>
  <em>
    <span>silently</span>
  </em>
  <span>, as No’a hadn’t said a word since they started. It was a tad unnerving in all honesty, as G’raha was so used to him quipping and joking and generally acting rather goofy back at the camp. This, on the other hand, was like watching an entirely different person - a cold, calculated assassin of beasts and gods. A seasoned and deadly night hunter. The Warrior of Light, not No’a Katri.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How… fascinating.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>G’raha felt his breath run away from him as the hunter leapt to a new position once again, the moonlight giving him an almost ethereal glow while his chapeau kept his face hidden in shadow. He found himself enthralled, just like the first day they met - but now he wasn’t entirely sure if it was just the delight of watching No’a fight or something more than that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Curse that flirt. That insufferable, eccentric, beautifully powerful flirt.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Creeeak…</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>G’raha looked behind him at the sound and was hit with a sudden, gut-sinking realisation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was a dead tree. The branch he’d been sitting on was heavily splintering at the joint. He hadn’t seen the condition of the tree because his eyes struggled at night - no wonder No’a wasn’t impressed when he started his shots, what an amateur-</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Crack.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“No-!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He fell to the ground with a pained grunt, pushing his hair away from his eyes just in time to glance up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, no…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The morbol towered over him, snuffling and snarling at the intruder to its territory. Instantly G’raha made to get up, the only thing on his mind being that ill-fated toad just minutes before, only to be pulled back rather firmly. He didn’t have time to look at what it was. He just pulled and clawed at the mud in a desperate attempt to </span>
  <em>
    <span>move, gods damn you, move, for the love of all that is good before it-</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Grr… Rrrrrrrr…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>His mind raced as his body gave up, shrinking into the messy ground of the swamp. Panic. Fear. Terror. He was actually going to die - if not by the powder then almost certainly by a heart malfunction first.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Fssssh. Squelch. Fsssh, fsssh… Gurgle.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh, what a cruel world indeed, to end his story in such a pitiful manner - to deny him his life’s wish when they were just days away from journeying deeper into the Tower - to deny him the answers for him and his forefathers!</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Grrrrraaaaaagggh!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh, and how he’d leave behind such sorrow - Krile would be utterly devastated, the poor girl, he’d never be able to apologise enough… Rammbroes too, as boring as he could be… And poor No’a, having to be the one to drag his lifeless body back to camp knowing full well his responsibility in his death, and…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>… He wasn’t dead. Surely he must’ve been dead by now? Not as if he was complaining, but even so…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>G’raha slowly, carefully, inched his head off the ground and looked up. He could only see a half-obscured face, with a frowning mouth and rolanberry-coloured face tattoos.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“G’raha,” No’a sighed with relief, tipping up the brim of his chapeau to properly inspect G’raha’s condition. Worried amber eyes stared into blank mismatched ones. “Thank Menphina…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Seeker’s mind still raced. “What… I was… But then it… Huh?” He could barely string together a coherent sentence. Him, a Student of Baldesion, brought speechless by a simple life-or-death situation. Gods, how embarrassing. Rather than take advantage for some more typical teasing, however, No’a simply smiled reassuringly, reaching out a hand to wipe some of the dirt off G’raha’s face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry, G’raha. It’s dead, you’re safe. Now stay still, I need to cut you out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bard stood up from his crouch and G’raha could hear his light footsteps, followed by the unsheathing of a hunting knife before the feeling of tightness around his ankle loosened. He looked back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh… Vines… So that’s what that was.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, at least his vocabulary was slowly coming back to him. No’a hummed in affirmation and walked back around to offer a hand up that the Seeker gratefully accepted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure it’s dead?” G’raha asked. No’a nodded, gesturing to his now empty quiver. “I shot every arrow I had at it, so I’d hope so.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Though his mind was still too scrambled to properly process it, G’raha glanced behind the bard at the morbol carcass. Sure enough, it was riddled with arrows from top to bottom - like a desperate attack to kill it before it could kill. Such a change to those brilliant, precise shots he’d witnessed. How strange.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you need that many?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d meant to mumble mainly to himself, but a telltale flick of the ear signalled that No’a heard him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I couldn’t let it hurt you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That</span>
  </em>
  <span> snapped him back. G’raha’s face flushed at the tone of his voice - he knew it shouldn’t have, but this new ‘hunter’ side of No’a was definitely… something. What that something was he couldn’t yet figure out, but it sure was </span>
  <em>
    <span>something.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>No’a cocked his head to one side and squinted at the Seeker. “G’raha? You’re kinda staring into space, there. You aren’t hurt or anything are you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>G’raha shook his head to both clear it and answer No’a’s question, and forced a smile - the look of relief on the bard’s face made it a little easier. “N-no, quite alright. My pride is hurt more than anything else. I should’ve seen that those trees were long dead - but no matter. It seems you’ve won our little race once again, No’a!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No’a took a moment, as if he’d forgotten, but then grinned playfully. “So it seems! Now let’s see, where’s that prize…” He patted down his pockets, only to freeze in place. “Ah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah?” It was G’raha’s turn to tilt his head at the Keeper. “What’s wrong?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I… I think I dropped it trying to save you,” No’a admitted sheepishly. G’raha frowned and looked away, a wave of guilt quickly washing over him - something the bard must’ve noticed as he clapped a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. “Well, hey, don’t worry about it, yeah? Honestly I just wanted someone to go on a hunting trip with, so the competition really wasn’t-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Unacceptable!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No’a jumped, eyes wide at the sudden shift in tone. Even as eccentric as the bard was, he was unprepared for how G’raha could be - the Seeker inwardly smirked before he continued. “The victor simply </span>
  <em>
    <span>must</span>
  </em>
  <span> have a prize, no matter how small! And… Well…” His voice faltered. “I, um, need to thank you for saving me, regardless. So!” He put a hand on his hip and pointed at No’a with an air of finality. “Name your prize, Warrior of Light! Anything you desire!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No’a blinked once, then twice, then smirked. “... Anything, sweetness?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anything!” G’raha nodded. “Food, drinks, gil, you name it and I’ll-mmmrph?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>G’raha’s eyes widened. Suddenly there was something soft on his lips. Warm. Quickly as it happened, it went. Couldn’t have been more than a second and yet his mind raced again. What had just happened? That… felt like a kiss. Did No’a kiss him? Oh gods, No’a just kissed him. They are in a swamp, covered in mud, in front of a quickly-rotting dead plant G’raha was almost killed by, and No’a just kissed him. Why did he do that. He’d never seen No’a kiss anyone - even when he was wasted and still flirting his way for free drinks at Seventh Heaven. What does a kiss from one of Eorzea’s most notorious flirters </span>
  <em>
    <span>mean?!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>No’a, oblivious to G’raha’s dilemma, stepped back and grinned devilishly. “You said anything, sweetness. I just wanted to test that~” He sang as he turned around and started walking towards the morbol. G’raha stood there for a moment, dumbfounded, before his mind finally strung together a coherent sentence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A-ask next time!!” He sputtered out, then quickly buried his face in his hands. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Next time?! Why did I imply a ‘next time’?! Does he even </span>
  </em>
  <span>want</span>
  <em>
    <span> a ‘next time’?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>… Do I want a ‘next time’?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>No’a chuckled, still blissfully oblivious. “I’ll keep that in mind, sweetness - but for now you owe me a bottle of the hard stuff when we get back. Now are you gonna stand there like a cute little statue, or are you going to help?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ah. So the kiss didn’t mean anything at all. Just another way to tease him. Obviously. G’raha pouted and shook his head as he walked over to where No’a was and began helping him collect salvageable arrows from the morbol.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Curse that troublesome, confusing, horribly charming flirt, once and for all.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>(It wouldn’t be until much, much, </span>
  <em>
    <span>much</span>
  </em>
  <span> later, when G’raha had learnt more about No’a, that he realised the bard probably never had a prize to begin with that day.)</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I didn’t realise how long it was going to be x.x</p><p>Hope you enjoyed! Stay safe everyone, and have a good day! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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